Explore the excellence: A glimpse into Vietnam's 4 Michelin-Star restaurants

Explore the excellence: A glimpse into Vietnam's 4 Michelin-Star restaurants
Elly Huynh
Explore the excellence: A glimpse into Vietnam's 4 Michelin-Star restaurants

Before clinching their debut Michelin star, four Vietnamese restaurants, one in HCMC and three in Hanoi, were already making waves on the international stage, earning praise from foreign diners and the media.


Anan Saigon, located inside an old market on Ton That Dam Street near Bitexco Financial Tower in District 1, is renowned for its fine dining approach to street food-inspired dishes. The brainchild of owner and chef Peter Cuong Franklin, it opened in April 2017 and quickly gained worldwide recognition. Its claim to fame is the $100 banh mi (Vietnamese sandwich), garnished with French foie gras, truffle, traditional cucumber slices, cilantro, and mint, served with fried sweet potatoes and caviar. Due to its limited space, Anan Saigon accommodates only 40 diners at a time.


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Anan Saigon Restaurant is at 89 Ton That Dam Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, HCMC. Credit: Photos courtesy of the restaurants
Anan Saigon Restaurant is at 89 Ton That Dam Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, HCMC. Credit: Photos courtesy of the restaurants

Other standout dishes that have contributed to its global reputation include the Banh Xeo Taco, which adapts the central Vietnamese Banh Xeo (pancake) into a Mexican taco, filled with shrimp and pork. The restaurant also offers Hanoi-style grilled catfish and beef stew. Over five years, Anan Saigon has collected a series of prestigious awards from international cuisine magazines and was the sole representative of Vietnam in Asia's 50 best restaurants at the World Travel Awards in March. Prices start at VND 185,000 ($7.93).


Banh Xeo Taco is served at Anan Saigon. Credit: Photos courtesy of the restaurants
Banh Xeo Taco is served at Anan Saigon. Credit: Photos courtesy of the restaurants

Hibana by Koki Restaurant, situated in the Capella Hotel in Hanoi's Old Quarter, specializes in Japanese cuisine, including sashimi, yakitori, grilled meats, seafood, and accompanying salads, rice, and noodle dishes. The restaurant was one of three in Hanoi to earn a Michelin star. Hibana offers a range of dining spaces, including four private dining rooms for up to eight guests and five additional private dining areas catering for between six and 16 guests.


Hibana by Koki is at 11 Le Phung Hieu Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi. Credit: Photos courtesy of the restaurants
Hibana by Koki is at 11 Le Phung Hieu Street, Hoan Kiem District, Hanoi. Credit: Photos courtesy of the restaurants

Chef Hiroshi Yamaguchi emphasizes the importance of ingredients in achieving the Michelin star. He is meticulous about selecting materials, from vegetables to seafood, to ensure freshness. Yamaguchi aspires to enhance the global reputation of Vietnamese cuisine through the Michelin star. However, he is more concerned about maintaining the quality of his dishes, ensuring that guests recognize the restaurant as deserving of its Michelin star. The menu goes beyond teppanyaki, featuring premium ingredients flown in twice weekly from Japan, such as abalone, spiny lobster, sea urchin, Yaeyama Kyori beef, and Hokkaido hairy crab. A meal here ranges from VND 6-9 million per person. Hibana received recognition as one of the best new restaurants in Hanoi in 2022, as voted by readers and travel editors of American magazine Condé Nast Traveler.


A lobster dish at Hibana by Koki. Credit: Photos courtesy of the restaurants
A lobster dish at Hibana by Koki. Credit: Photos courtesy of the restaurants

Tam Vi Restaurant, located on Van Mieu Street in Dong Da District, is inspired by the Tonkin period, featuring northern Vietnamese architecture and a collection of Chinese furniture, hand-written signs, and vintage items such as an antique gramophone and telephone. It was chosen by Tripadvisor readers in 2023 as one of the best eateries in Hanoi.


Tam Vi stands at 4b Yen The Street, Dong Da District, Hanoi.
Tam Vi stands at 4b Yen The Street, Dong Da District, Hanoi.

Specializing in northern Vietnamese dishes, its signature offerings include Vietnamese ham with periwinkle (snails) accompanied by fresh herbs, vegetables, and rice vermicelli with fish sauce. Michelin Guide endorsed it as "high-quality cooking, worth a stop." The restaurant operates from Tuesday to Saturday, with meal prices ranging from VND 200,000-500,000.


A meal with basic northern Vietnamese dishes is served at Tam Vi. Credit: Photos courtesy of the restaurants
A meal with basic northern Vietnamese dishes is served at Tam Vi. Credit: Photos courtesy of the restaurants

Gia Restaurant, which commenced operations in December 2020, derives its name, meaning "family" in Vietnamese, from the shared love of its head chef Sam Tran, and CEO Long Tran. Having worked abroad for several years, they returned to Vietnam to open Gia Restaurant. The establishment draws design inspiration from Hanoi's Temple of Literature. The menu includes dishes like dried black apricots, Hmong chicken served with rice, crab with beetroot, scallops with lime, and lamb with black garlic. Meals at Gia Restaurant are priced from VND 1.7-2 million.


Gia is at 61 Van Mieu Street, Dong Da District, Hanoi. Credit: Photos courtesy of the restaurants
Gia is at 61 Van Mieu Street, Dong Da District, Hanoi. Credit: Photos courtesy of the restaurants


A dish of lamb with black garlic at Gia in Hanoi. Credit: Photos courtesy of the restaurants
A dish of lamb with black garlic at Gia in Hanoi. Credit: Photos courtesy of the restaurants

To earn a Michelin star, restaurants must meet five criteria: the chef's personality must be evident in the cuisine, the flavors must be harmonious, cooking techniques must be mastered, high-quality ingredients must be used, and consistency must be maintained over time and across the entire menu.


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